Across the countries that 2007 Nuffield Scholar Ronald Thompson visited in his investigation of rural workforces, he found a common thread: workforces were stable or growing when farmers were profitable, and countries with profitable agriculture often had a biofuels industry.
"A problem with this country in general is that we haven't been prepared to take alternative energy on board," said Mr Thompson, who produces crops and cattle on his 935 hectare family farm at Chinchilla, Qld.
"Brazil went down this path in the seventies, when it decided to get away from oil dependence and created an agricultural economy around biofuels."
Australia may not be able to replicate the Brazilian experience, because of its small population base, but actively encouraging biofuel production could still contribute to the prosperity of farming communities while delivering cleaner fuel, Mr Thompson said.
"If you fill up your car or tractor with a blend containing a percentage of biofuel, then that percentage is helping an Australian farming community somewhere.
"The remaining percentage is helping some very wealthy Middle Eastern gentleman."
As fate would have it, Mr Thompson grows grain within striking distance of Dalby Bio-Refinery, the only grain-based ethanol start-up to survive falling oil prices and the credit crunch.
"Grain-based ethanol is likely to have a limited life, but in the short to medium term it’s going to be of benefit, particularly now there’s plenty of grain sitting around," he said.
"It's a stepping stone to the next stage in biofuels production."
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